Johann Adolf Hasse LA SEMELE O SIA LA RICHIESTA FATALE LE MUSICHE NOVE – CLAUDIO OSELE He [Hasse] may … be allowed to be as superior to all other lyric composers, as Metastasio is to all other lyric poets. Charles Burney Following the critically acclaimed concert performances and recording of Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, Claudio Osele and Le Musiche Nove continue their exploration of the work of Johann Adolf Hasse presenting La Semele, o sia la richiesta fatale, a serenata composed for performance in Naples in the autumn of 1726. The libretto by Francesco Ricciardi, who already worked together with Hasse on Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, take us into the mythological tale of Semele, her unfortunate love for Giove and the enraged jealousy of Giove’s wife, Giunone. About 17 years before Handel, Hasse depicts the tragic love - yet happy ending - of the mortal princess for the king of the gods with sensual tones and moments of high drama. Semele and Giunone are both soprano roles while Giove is a contralto. The instrumentation comprises full strings orchestra and basso continuo. Although the original cast is not known, based on the quality of the music we can assume that, similar to the serenata Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra which was performed just one year earlier by Farinelli and Vittoria Tesi, also for La Semele great vocal virtuosi were engaged. suggested cast Semele: Roberta Invernizzi Giunone: Karina Gauvin Giove: Sonia Prina Le Musiche Nove (8 violins, 2 violas, 2 violoncellos, 1 double bass, 1 theorbo, 1 harpsichord) Claudio Osele, conductor Le Musiche Nove The period instruments ensemble is made up of sought-after musicians active in the historically informed performance practice and interpretation. To date, Le Musiche Nove has performed at many prestigious venues and festival in Europe and the United States, including the Vienna Musikverein, the Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Berlin Philarmonie and the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals. www.lemusichenove.com Claudio Osele Following up on his investigations and discoveries in eighteenth-century manuscripts scores and autographs, Claudio Osele founded Le Musiche Nove in 2001 with the goal of making his research findings visibile and alive on stage and records. Since then, he has brought back to music life many unjustly forgotten baroque works. His innovative activity is also evident in the series of recordings with Cecilia Bartoli on which he acted as music consultant: The Vivaldi Album, Opera Proibita, The Salieri Album and Gluck Italian Arias. A wide-ranging project devoted to the rediscovery of the music by composers of the “Neapolitan” School has originated several concerts and the CD Lava, featuring the soprano Simone Kermes, followed-up by Colori d’Amore, a disc of almost all word-premiere recordings of music by Scarlatti, Caldara, Broschi, Matteis and Bononcini. His recording of Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra, featuring Vivica Genaux and Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli, has just been released by DHM/Sony, the beginning of a long-term project devoted to the works of Johann Adolf Hasse.